Hello and welcome.
I'm so glad that you could be here with me and it's a true honor to be holding this sacred space right now for you as you navigate away from a busy day and settle into a mental,
Emotional,
And physical place of rest.
Over the next 20 minutes or so,
I'll be guiding you through a series of tensing and releasing muscle groups in order to get in touch with your attention,
Embody and harness the power that it holds,
And then simply let it go,
Releasing from your physical body and making way for kindness and compassion to take its place.
Before we begin,
Please know that these cues are simply that.
They are just suggestions and they are not medical advice.
Listen to your body first and foremost.
I am your guide.
You are your guru.
Now,
Let's begin.
Start by settling into a space that is safe,
Comfortable,
Warm,
And welcoming.
I would encourage using the restroom,
Dimming the lights,
Turning off all that extra technology,
And making your way to a place where you can ease into sleep once this meditation has concluded.
Feel free to pause the video now to tie up at ends if needed.
Once you feel settled,
Allow your body to just fall into the support beneath you,
Whatever that may be,
And just come to simply notice first.
Notice the natural inhale and the natural exhale of your breath.
Notice if it feels hard to shut down or turn off or just be still.
If you notice any tension or challenge in these things,
There's no need to force it,
No need to fix it.
Simply let it be.
Take a moment to listen to what it might be telling you,
Why it might be present.
Know that it's okay to feel exactly how you feel.
Once you begin to fall into that natural rhythm of your breath,
Allow it to lengthen just a little bit,
A little longer on the inhale,
A little longer on the exhale,
Allowing your rib cage to expand and your breath to fall all the way down to the bottom of your lung base.
Notice your belly begin to rise and fall with this breath.
Now going from head to toe,
We're going to begin a series of tensing and releasing those muscle groups,
Beginning with your forehead.
Let the rest of your body just be as it is.
Gaze in on those forehead muscles,
Crinkle your eyebrows.
Bring all of the day's questions and concerns right into your forehead.
Allow everything to tense for five,
Four,
Three,
Two,
And let go.
Allow your eyes to fall heavy,
Your brows to unfurl,
Knowing there's no longer any questions or concerns to hang on to.
Take a deep inhale in.
And a long exhale out as you let this tension go,
Making your way down to your eyelids,
Your nose,
Your cheeks.
Allow everything to scrunch in really,
Really tight.
Hang on to that for five,
Four,
Three,
Two,
And release,
Allowing your cheekbones to fall back by your ears again,
Your nose to unscrunch,
Your eyelids to fall heavy.
Take a deep breath in and a long exhale out as you let this tension go.
Continuing down to your lips,
Your mouth,
Your teeth,
Your gums,
Your jaw.
Allow this area to clench in tight,
Clinging on to all of that tension today brought with the words that you said,
The communication that you had.
Allow it all to brew.
Hang on to it for five,
Four,
Three,
Two,
And let it go.
Allow your jaw to unclench,
Falling down and back toward your earlobes.
Allow your lips to part just slightly.
Take a deep inhale in and a long exhale out as you let this tension go.
Continuing down to your neck and your shoulders,
Squeeze everything in tight,
Bringing those shoulders up towards those earlobes.
That neck flares just a bit as you squeeze everything in.
Hang on to that tension for five,
Four,
Three,
Two,
And let it go.
Those shoulders fall down and back,
Peeling away from your earlobes.
That neck falls onto the base of your spine,
Feeling all of the support.
Know that you no longer have any weight on your shoulders to carry.
Take a deep inhale in and a long exhale out as you let this tension go.
Coming down to your biceps,
Bring them in really,
Really tight,
As strong as you can.
Flex those biceps.
Allow maybe a little flexion into your triceps if you can.
Hang on to that tension.
However it is you find it,
Squeeze it in.
Five,
Four,
Three,
Two,
And one.
Let those arms fall long,
No longer needing to be strong.
Take a deep inhale in and a long exhale out,
Letting go of this tension.
Coming into your forearms,
Allow your arms to stay long.
Allow your palms to fly up towards the ceiling or towards your forehead,
Bringing those forearms into an extension in the back side.
Squeeze into it all of that tension.
Bring it in.
Hang on to it.
Four,
Five,
Four,
Three,
Two,
And let it go.
Those wrists no longer hanging onto any work.
Your elbows,
Find their slight bend.
Take a deep inhale in and a long exhale out,
Letting this tension go.
Coming into our fingers,
Bring them into a claw-like form,
Finding all of that tension in those fingertips and palms.
Hang on to it as if you're clinging on for dear life.
Squeeze as if you have a ball in between your hands.
Hang on to it for five,
Four,
Three,
Two,
And let it go,
Releasing all of that tension.
Take a deep inhale in and a long exhale out,
Feeling the full weight of your arms and upper body.
Notice how it lies a little bit differently now.
Coming down into your mid-body again,
Just notice the core of yourself.
Notice if you can feel the way your heart is beating.
Come back to that breath.
Is it relaxed or is it constricted?
Just notice how these things feel.
Making your way down to your abdomen,
Flex those muscles.
Notice the grip and the pull of your muscles as they bring your back towards your stomach.
Hang on to it for five,
Four,
Three,
Two,
And let it go.
Allow both your front body and back body to fall weightless into the support below,
Knowing that there's nothing left to carry,
Nothing left to hold on to.
Take a deep breath in and a long exhale out.
Coming down to your glutes and your hips,
Squeeze your buttocks in tight,
Allowing your cheeks to squeeze together.
Hang on to this tension.
Feel everything flex for five,
Four,
Three,
Two,
And let it go.
Allow your hips to sink a little bit deeper.
Allow everything to rest a little bit more.
Take a deep breath in and a long exhale out.
Coming down to the upper part of your legs,
Your thighs,
Your quads,
Your hamstrings.
Come into a flexion that feels good here,
However that may be.
Hang on to this tension.
Squeeze it in.
Find those big muscle groups.
Hang on to it for five,
Four,
Three,
Two,
And let it go.
Take a deep inhale in and a long exhale out.
Coming down below your knee,
Allow your feet to face upwards,
Again towards the ceiling or towards your forehead,
Squeezing in,
Hanging on to that tension.
Feel all of that flexion in the upper foot,
In the front of the calf.
Five,
Four,
Three,
Two,
And let it go.
Allow your feet to fall.
Allow your shin to relax.
Taking those toes the opposite direction and pointing them down.
Feel the way your calf's tense.
Notice the new flexion in your ankle and the grip of your toes.
Hang on to it for five,
Four,
Three,
Two,
And let it go.
Take a big,
Deep inhale and a sweet,
Long exhale.
Coming down to the tips of your toes,
Find a little separation in your toe webbing,
Bringing them as far apart from one another as you can.
Keep this webbing far and tight.
Keep it squeezed.
Five,
Four,
Three,
Two,
And release.
Allow all of that tense energy to flow out of your toes.
Allow whatever has followed you from the tip of your forehead to release now at the bottom of your body.
Take a deep inhale in and a long exhale out.
Come back to just noticing,
Just simply checking in.
Notice the difference in your body now,
The difference in your mind,
Maybe even the difference in your spirit and emotion.
Take a moment to just feel this space inside of your body and the fleeting air around it.
Notice if it feels heavier or lighter,
If it feels calmer and happier.
Notice how your breath has changed,
The natural inhale,
The natural exhale.
Notice if there are any new areas of challenge or tension,
Or if everything seems to fall a little bit more in place now.
If you have any lasting areas of tension in large muscle groups that you would like to tense and release on your own,
Feel free to do so.
Otherwise,
Know that there is nothing else for you to hang on to in this day.
You have accepted all of these feelings.
You have listened to all of these feelings.
You have allowed them,
All of these feelings,
To continue on their way as you do on yours.
Take one last deep inhale.
Simply long exhale to seal in this evening's practice.
Sleep well and I'll see you next time,
Friend.
